Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram - Architecture

Architecture

The unique monuments in Mahabalipuram present a fusion of religion, culture, and legends, all related to the Hindu religious pantheon. All these monuments located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal are in the exclusive Dravidian style of architecture, imbibing the art and culture of Tamil Nadu. The monuments are: Mandapas, also called Cave Temples; Rathas, or chariots; the open air bas-relief depicting Arjuna's penance to Lord Shiva to obtain the Pashupata weapon; and structural temples. The architecture of the rock-cut temples, particularly the rathas, became models for south Indian temple architectural style in subsequent periods. The architectural features, particularly of the sculptures, were widely adopted in South India and also in the building of temples in Cambodia, Annam and Java. Descendants of the sculptors of these shrines are active and involved artisans in Mahabalipuram's contemporary town culture.

Read more about this topic:  Group Of Monuments At Mahabalipuram

Famous quotes containing the word architecture:

    Polarized light showed the secret architecture of bodies; and when the second-sight of the mind is opened, now one color or form or gesture, and now another, has a pungency, as if a more interior ray had been emitted, disclosing its deep holdings in the frame of things.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.
    Audre Lorde (1934–1992)

    It seems a fantastic paradox, but it is nevertheless a most important truth, that no architecture can be truly noble which is not imperfect.
    John Ruskin (1819–1900)